MK Stalin seeks Rs 2,200 crore as educational funds, increased share in central duties

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who boycotted the last three Niti Aayog Governing Council meetings, participated in the 2025 iteration in Delhi on Saturday and requested the release of the Centre's share of Rs 2,200 crore of funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). He requested Tamil Nadu's share in central duties to be raised to 50 per cent as envisaged by the vision of the Prime Minister to expedite the development of states.

"Due to a few states not joining the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education under the PM Shri scheme, the SSA fund has been withheld. To be precise, for the year 2024-2025, about Rs 2,200 crore of Union funding has been withheld from Tamil Nadu," Stalin continued in the 10th Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He told the government that the hold-up of funds affects the education of students who are studying in government-run schools as well as children educated under Right to Education Act (RTE) and asked the Centre to release the funds at the earliest and without putting "unilateral conditions".

Previously, PM Modi had directed the states to make "future-ready" cities and one tourist destination at the international level. The Prime Minister directed the chief ministers to accelerate the development process in an effort to achieve the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' or developed India by 2047. Referring to the PM's proposal for states' development, Stalin said the Centre must increase its share in the central taxes to 50 per cent, calling it essential for a dedicated urban regeneration mission in the state.

Tamil Nadu is receiving merely 33.16 per cent of central taxes when it is eligible for a minimum of 41 per cent, Stalin recently stated on social media.

"Long-term vision is to achieve economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable with social justice and equality and the Dravidian Model is how we achieve that for everyone," Stalin said, adding that it is also the vision of his administration to achieve a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030 and USD 4.5 trillion by 2047 to be aligned with PM Modi's "developed India" vision.

Tamil Nadu has also consistently posted an 8 per cent GDP growth in recent years and even 9.69 per cent growth during the previous year, MK Stalin reported at the meeting, which was chaired by Union Ministers, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman and other state Chief Ministers.

"Tamil Nadu has become industrialized across the board. From cars to green hydrogen, we've witnessed robust expansion across all sunrise sectors," the DMK leader enumerated major welfare initiatives his government utilized since 2021.